Callaway alum and current FSU star Keiondre Jones soaks in Cavalier game, talks life as a Seminole
Published 12:04 am Saturday, September 30, 2023
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The Callaway football team got a visit from an old friend on Friday as former star offensive lineman and current Florida State Seminole Keiondre Jones was in the house to watch his alma mater pull off a big victory over Columbia.
“I love to be back here man,” Jones said, flashing his winning smile. “Some of the most fun I ever had was out here on this field playing ball.”
To spend another Friday night with coach Brooke Jackson, coach Kerry Woodard and others is what it is all about for the college senior.
“That is family right there,” Jones said. “I talk to them way more than just when I come home because they mean a lot to me. We are all one big family here at Callaway.”
For Jones, Callaway is family and family means everything. Many athletes will go play Division I football and come back with a necklace with their name or number shining as lights hit it from all angles. Jones kept it a bit simpler.
“This is my momma,” Jones said, showing his necklace with a picture of him as a child with his mother. “My mom used to take us to the Coke Factory and the aquarium in Atlanta when I was younger. This picture means a lot to me, and she always made sure I had a good childhood no matter the circumstances.”
That is Jones in a nutshell, all about family. And right now, he is a part of a big family in Tallahassee.
Jones has made quite the impression in his first season with Florida State since transferring over from Auburn earlier this year after he earned his degree. He was looking for a new challenge and found that at Florida State.
“It is exactly what I expected it to be,” Jones said. “I came to be a part of one of the best programs in the country and we are 4-0, so you can’t beat that.
“I wanted to go somewhere where the standard is already set, and they have that at Florida State.”
He is now a right guard on one of the best teams in college football in the first few weeks of the season, but he is far from satisfied with where they are at.
Jones transferred to the Seminoles to play in big games, and he has the opportunity to do just that, getting his Seminoles debut in a big win over Louisiana State on national television in the opener. Now, he has helped lead the team to big wins over Clemson and Boston College.
“It is good to come out of those games with wins, but we know that we can’t be satisfied with that,” Jones said. “We haven’t put it all together yet, so we have room to grow and improve, but it is exciting to be 4-0.”
Jones was a leader for Callaway half a decade ago and now serves as a leader for the offensive line at Florida State.
“It is a blessing to be a leader there,” Jones said. “We have a bunch of guys that are older and know what to do in big moments, and we can lean on any of them at any time.
“It is a great room to lead and be led by.”